Dwyane Wade is opening up about his decision to flee Florida.
The former Miami Heat shooting guard sat down with Rachel Nichols for Thursday’s episode of Headliners, where he got candid about moving out of the Sunshine State for reasons beyond his own well-being:
“That’s another reason why I don’t live in that state. A lot of people don’t know that. I have to make decisions for my family, not just personal, individual decisions.”
The Wade family moved to California in 2019, when he left the NBA. One year later, his 15-year-old daughter Zaya came out as transgender in 2020, and in the wake of Florida’s expanding Don’t Say Gay policies, which currently restrict classrooms from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity, the father of four just feels like his family is no longer “accepted.”
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While he said he’ll miss the tax benefits of residing in the state, his family’s comfort is more valuable:
“I mean, obviously, the tax [situation] is great. Having Wade County is great. But my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And so that’s one of the reasons why I don’t live there.”
He’s really doing the work to prioritize his family, and to show other parents out there what unconditional love and protecting your children looks like. Later in the interview, the basketball star opened up about how his own father’s love inspired him as a parent, sharing:
“I tell my dad all the time, I’m just a mirror image of the way he loved us and the way that he accepted not only myself and my brothers but other kids in the community that didn’t have father figures.”
Discussing his own family’s dynamic, he continued:
“Yes, I had to educate myself and yes, I had to get a better understanding. And yes, I had to lose some friends along the process, but I never wavered on loving my kids and trying to find space to get the chance to understand them.”
What an amazing father!
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Altogether, Dwyane shares Zaya and his 21-year-old son Zaire with ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches, 9-year-old son Xavier with ex Aja Metoyer, and 4-year-old daughter Kaavia with wife Gabrielle Union. Wade and Funches were recently wrapped up in a legal battle over Zaya’s transition, but the teen was finally granted a legal name and gender change in February. Since then, the rising star has been making her debut into the fashion world, such as walking the runway for Miu Miu during Paris Fashion Week last month and championing more “appreciation for the LGBTQ+ community.” She told DAZED last month:
“As our understanding of acceptance has broadened over the past couple of years, we have made the strides to keep ourselves educated and combat the ignorance.”
Star family right there! What do YOU think of Dwyane’s decision to move out of Florida, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below!
[Image via Dwyane Wade/Instagram]
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